INED 2021: Collaboration for Change
June 28–30, 2021
The University of La Verne and the Claremont Colleges CTLs are excited to welcome you to the first-ever virtual POD Network Institute for New Educational Developers.
POD Connects spring 2021 group formation
Friday, April 30 Registration Deadline
POD Connects! groups are forming now for spring and summer 2021. Join a small group to connect with colleagues at other institutions to advance professional goals and well-being, support one another, and grow in knowledge.
A Final Message from President Donna Ellis, June 9
It seems hard to believe that my time in the presidential role has come to an end, and this is my final email to you all. I would be untruthful if I said this hasn’t been a tough year to have held this volunteer role, for so many reasons. But it has also been a very rewarding year.
A Message from President Donna Ellis, May 14
In February, I wrote to you about being optimistic, but then I fell silent. I’ll admit I’ve struggled the past couple of months to keep up my positive outlook. In Ontario, we are under a full stay-at-home order until June 2 due to the continued rise in COVID cases. Vaccine roll-out has been slow here (I finally got my first shot on May 1!), and it’s unclear when our students will get their turn. Nonetheless, Fall planning has begun for a return to campus despite all the uncertainties like building occupancy limits and variants. I can’t quite believe it, but I think I was busier at work this March and April than during the same timeframe last year.
2020 Innovation Award Winners
Two teams of researchers received the 2020 POD Innovation Award for projects involved with designing and sustaining inclusive learning environments and surveying students about memorable assignments.
A Message from President Donna Ellis, February 9
While many of us seemed ready to say good-bye to 2020, this new year has had a somewhat variable start. We have continued to see protests and riots around the world and pandemic lockdown measures (Ontario, where I live, declared another state of emergency until mid-Feb). It’s hard not to feel anxious, drained, and angry. And yet, there are also signs of positive change: a momentous inauguration in the United States with Kamala Harris being sworn in as Vice President, the start of promising vaccination campaigns, and increasing daylight hours in North America (this last one always boosts my energy).
2020 Menges Award Winners
The 2020 recipients of the annual Robert J. Menges Award investigated benefits of multi-institutional course design and impacts of a faculty learning community on online education.
TIA Special Issue CFP: What’s the Problem Now?
Call for Proposal Deadline: January 31, 2021
The POD Network invites educational developers and scholars to submit reflective responses to the Randall Bass essay “What’s the Problem Now? for a special issue of the To Improve the Academy journal to be published in in fall/winter 2021.
2021 POD Diversity Committee (DC) Executive Team Call for Open Positions
Application deadline: January 28, 11:59 pm EST
The Diversity Committee is excited to announce several openings on its Executive Team, each of which presents an opportunity to work toward POD’s ambitious diversity goals with a group of dynamic, highly engaged POD members.
Progress on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
In February of this year, the POD Network’s Executive and Core Committees acknowledged the structural, systemic, and interpersonal racism that persists within the POD Network. At that time we knew necessary changes would not happen overnight, nor without errors and missteps along the way. But we believe that we can create an organization in which our espoused ideals—particularly our organizational commitment to equity—more closely match the lived reality of all our members. Since February, the POD Network has undertaken the following actions to support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).